The Sexy Someone
by Believer-of-Slash
Summary: A tale about Hermione in her seventh year who is suddenly being loved, lusted over and even obsessed over by some boys...and even that one sexy someone. Rated R for lots of sex. Warning: heavy femmeslash in later chaps.
1. As it begins

It was very out of the ordinary for Hogwarts to be having a start-of-term celebration this big, and even more so with Lord Voldemort still on the loose and Dumbledore deceased. The students however, especially the seventh years, were taking this chance to party like they were going to die the next day because for all anyone knew these days, that could just happen.

Hermione Granger for one was having the most fun she'd had in a long time. Donned in a short, very short, black leather dress and with curves showing all over the place, she was already drunk on her 4th bottle of firewhisky. She was dancing wildly, her straggly hair falling over her little shoulders and not aware that the V-neck on her dress slipping lower and lower much to nobody's annoyance.

"Hey baby I'd sure like that in my pants..." whispered a deep voice in her ear as a brawny arm snaked around her waist. She turned a little and saw a blue-eyed Ravenclaw smirk at her before his free hand flew to her v neck and tugged it down till her maroon lace bra was revealed.

Hermione was so drunk she didn't even care. She grabbed both of the ravenclaw's hands and placed them over her full pushed-up breasts and then leaned back n started kissing and sucking at his neck.

She was only slightly aware of another boy swagger towards her and bring his head down to her breasts where his tongue began roaming underneath her bra and his hands caressing her inner thighs. Sandwiched between two really sexy males like this was like a dream to Hermione as she moved her body as best as she could to the rhythm of both of them. Their hands flew to as much open skin as they possibly could and Hermione moaned as she felt four hands and two lips slide over her neck, lips, breasts and thighs all at the same time.

"Geez Mione this is getting sick…… You two clear off right now!" Hermione heard Ron's voice from somewhere in the distance and then two disgruntled groans before a hand grabbed her wrist and began pulling her towards the bar. Flaming red hair and a scarlet face slowly swam into view.

"Haha Ron, I'm sorry but they really knew how to dance, I couldn't possibly say no. Haha, and what about you and Lavender huh..looked like you two hadn't seen each other for ten years or something!" She giggled at the thought of seeing Ron as turned on as he was a few minutes ago.

"Yeah yeah whatever Mione, I just came to get those two blithering idiots off of you! I really strongly advise you to stay off firewhisky for the night ok? You're too……" He broke off at once upon seeing Hermione's more-revealed-that usual chest and quickly looked away. His ears flushed pink but Hermione hadn't noticed. As though on cue, Lavender Brown appeared from the pulsating body of dancing teens

"Wonnie what the hell d'you think you're doing here? With HER? Without ME?" She was shouting over the deafening roar of the stereos and Ron, who knew better, held he by the waist and steered her back into the crowd, shooting a final, anxious frown at Hermione.

Hermione just giggled again and reluctantly pulled her dress back over her chest and turned to face the barman.

"One firewhisky..hic…please."


	2. A tart

A shaft of brilliant sunlight peered in through the red and gold curtains right over Hermione Granger's eyes, ending abruptly what promised to be an excellent dream with her standing before shimmering golden gates and opening them, then standing back to watch thousands of ecstatic house-elves stampeding out, bowing as they went and with tears shining in their saucer eyes as croaky cries of thanks rang out……………The light was too bright though. Far too bright……

Her eyelids flew open as recollections of the previous night stormed through her mind in hordes. She remembered the dancing clearly, the mass of sweaty bodies pulsating on and against her. She had absolutely no difficulty remembering the boys working their best moves on her. With a shudder, the memory of Ron having to pull them off her and drag her back to the bar drudged up painfully in her mind. She had never got into such a situation. Never did she need someone else to stop her from dancing. It was always her who did that sort of thing. Always her telling people off for behaving exactly as she had last night.And she remembered firewhisky. Oodles and oodles of it. It wasn't in her nature to down more than half a bottle at anytime. But then again, what had come over her? It took a lot more than just loud music and sexy boys to misguide her. She lay still and her feeling of guilt and disgust just worsened. As she turned over in her bed, her heart seemed to stop in her throat.

Someone was huddled under her bedclothes right next to her, completely hidden beneath the maroon blankets.

Hermione didn't even pause to gather her thoughts. She leapt from her bed, grabbing her cloak and burst out the door. Her heart was pummeling her at her ribs and her breath came out in short gasps.

"Oh my god..no..that didn't happen..That did NOT happen..I don't do that stuff.." she said to herself still running, weaving past annoyed students. She didn't know where she was headed but all she wanted at that point was to get as far away as possible from her Head Girl Room. She didn't even care who was sleeping by her, she refused to admit it.

She spotted the library just ahead and spurted towards it. She found an unoccupied corner surrounded by red pouffes and dropped herself heavily on one of them.

"Ok Hermione. Just breathe. You don't even remember what happened. If you did what you think you did, then why is it you can't remember anything? That person was probably just lost and drunkenly wandered into your bed last night..Yes that's it…just lost…" Her practicality pacified her a great deal and her breathing evened out.

"Hermione Granger is not a tart", she whispered to herself and with a great shuddering breath, stood up and left for the Gryffindor common room. She was lucky it was a Sunday, so there was no particular need to hurry back to her private dorm. She thought she'd just laugh the morning away with Harry and Ron.

However, unbeknownst to Hermione, someone was watching. Someone who had been following her since the previous night. Someone who was thinking, "Au Contraire Hermione my love. You are quite the tart."


	3. Revelations and more

A/N: Sorry everyone for taking such an eternity to update. I've been awfully busy over the months and have found the time to snuggle up to the screen only recently. So hey rejoice its an UPDATE!

However much Ron was being particularly abusive with his prefectorial privileges that day and however percussive Ginny's giggles were at Harry's relentless tickling, Hermione did not seem to be as bothered as she normally would have been. She merely stared into the sooty fireplace while Ron groped at this opportunity to trick a first-year into copying extracts from Flesh Eating Trees of the World into his herbology essay in exchange for Captainship of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She just sat on the stringed rug, absent-mindedly curling the corners of her already dog-eared copy of Quintessence: A Quest, as a remarkably loud hoot from Ginny charged a fifth-year into flinging his quill at her. It accelerated forward in the air for a few seconds, and then twirled twice before finally fluttering to a rest on Hermione's nose. She broke put of her reverie.

"What's going on?" she cried, louder than usual and turning so abruptly that Harry ended up whacking Ginny in the face in an attempt to move his hands.

"Well, it's about time you woke up Mione, where've you been all morning?" grumbled Ron, unceremoniously waving the first-year away like he had just been asked for an autograph.

"I've been right here."

"No you haven't. It was like you'd seen Krum's head in the logs or something-"

"Of course not Ron, don't be silly."

"-And were wishing it would come back-"

"Oh shut it Ron, I was just thinking about the essay."

"So you could sn-"

Harry cut in. "I've yet to see an essay that makes _anyone_ stare straight into an empty fireplace for an entire hour, let alone you. Besides the only essay we got for this weekend was the herbology one and even an idiot could have done that_!" _He guffawed turning Ron a violent shade of pink.

Hermione did not respond but instead began staring fiercely at the cramped black letterings on the book before her. How could everyone speak to each other so normally after what had happened the night before? She was trying her best to evict those memories from her mind but they just seemed to find a way to seep in again to convulse her thoughts and her mood. She had behaved worse than she had ever in her life and yet Harry and Ron were speaking to her like none of that had happened. Perhaps they were trying to make her feel less awkward about herself, but that surely meant that they had not forgotten it. There was no way anyone who saw her could have possibly forgotten it.

And the figure huddled on her bed, right beside her. The more Hermione thought it through, with as much logic as she could muster, the more her earlier conclusion seemed ridiculous. No one could have possibly _lost_ their way right into the bed of a Gryffindor. They would have needed a password…..And that meant…

Hermione let out a very audible gasp and clapped her hands to her mouth. Ron, Harry, Ginny and a few others nearby gave her incredulous stares. She scanned the entirety of the Gryffindor common room. It had to be one of these people. It had to be. A sudden urge to hide her face overcame her and she immediately turned toward the floor, swallowing hard. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She actually cried out.

"Hey! It's just me alright!" Ron whispered, kneeling at her side with Harry. "We think its time you had a spot of lunch Mione, you look terrible. You're right off the mark today- it's pretty scary you know"

She didn't answer. He had no idea what scary was. Ron looked at Harry helplessly and jerked his head towards Hermione.

"Yeah, Ron's right Herm. We can talk about this-whatever it is. Alright? Come on." He murmured, gently pulling Hermione to her feet and guiding her out the portrait hole.

"Hey! Wait, where are you going?" Ginny had just come up running and had succeeded in yanking Harry down from the ledge. "What's wrong with Hermione?"

"No it isn't anything much Ginny, she just needs to eat. Don't worry I'll be back soon", Harry winked at pecked her cheek and crawled back into the portrait hole leaving behind a very riled redhead.

It had taken two entire plates of roasted potatoes and chops and a whole bowl of Turkish delight to get Hermione to speak normally again. Her head was absolutely buzzing with all sorts of monstrous thoughts, involving what she hoped to the heavens didn't happen. She knew it was about time she came clean, though.

"So, I'm pretty sure you know why we brought you out here Herm." Harry interjected suddenly, breaking what promised to be a horribly awkward silence.

"Yeah...yeah I do guys. And I first want to"- she raised her voice, cutting of Ron who had just opened his mouth with a very matter-of-fact expression on his face.

"- Apologize for what I did. It was totally unlike me and went against every single moral I've abided by. It just has to be all this stress you know, what with Dumbledore gone and your life being in such danger." She broke off with a heavy sigh and a despondent look at Harry. "I'll never do that again."

Harry and Ron both looked at each other for a long while as though contemplating who should speak next. The look on her face at that moment was so broken, so innocent and angelic that he just didn't have the heart to tell her off just as he had planned to. She really did look sorry and so embarrassed that he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and whisper into her ear that everything would be fine. She did not deserve to get reprimanded, especially not now when she looked almost on the verge of tears. How he wanted to wipe them away, not with his hands but with his lips.

"Well ok Hermione, if you feel that bad about it. Don't need to cry or anything ok, I wouldn't know how to handle that." He scanned the room and jerked his head towards Cho Chang over at the Ravenclaw table, with her friend Marietta. Hermione giggled.

"Thanks guys, just needed to get that whole episode off my chest. I just didn't want either of you to think of me differently after that." She smiled and gave a small sigh as the three of them left the lunch table.

"Well no offense or anything Mione, but those bloody goons were so wrapped around you that I wouldn't be surprised if no one had actually _seen_ you." Ron chortled as Hermione dropped her jaw and made a violent strangling gesture at his neck.

"Yeah that and-" Harry said while elbowing Ron in the ribs so Hermione could get a better grip on his neck. "-the fact that Ginny had to completely cover you with her cloak and practically carry you up to the dorm."

Hermione let go of Ron and stopped in her tracks.

"Ginny?"


	4. Memories OOOHH MEMORIES!

Author's note: Guess who's back? Yup it's me, Believer-of-Slash! I am sorry, repeat, SORRY for the decade long hiatus.(School work, you know. Was up to here points above head in homework and test and what not) So that's why I'm coming back today with TWO more chapters for The Sexy Someone. Thanks for the reviews guys, keep em coming!

Chapter Four

Images of that night kept returning to Hermione in droves, snaking into her thoughts when she least expected it, and arresting her, immobilizing her, until her heart began pumping and beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

Even a whole week after the scenario at the ball, it seemed to Hermione like it was just yesterday. Just yesterday that her whole turned violently around.

She was concentrating earnestly over her cauldron during their Potions' lesson when the first memory hit her, like a snowball on a cold winter day.

_A hand skims across the bare skin of her back. It tugs firmly on the leather until the dress snaps loose and unfurls to a heap at Hermione's feet. She notices that the curtains on the windows have been drawn completely and not a single speck of light could have entered that room. She gasps as a palm wraps to a close around her bare breast and caresses it, before jumping onto the next one. The fingers crawl like spiders over her nipples, tugging them and squeezing them. Hermione tilts her head back and puffs her chest out toward, and for this stranger. Soon she feels lips close around her breast and a tongue circling it. She moans louder but, as though to stifle the sound, the lips lunge to Hermione's own and silences the moan to a deep kiss._

Hermione let out a trembling cry and dropped her scales into her bubbling concoction, immediately turning it the completely wrong shade of yellow. Several heads turned, including Ron's and Harry's, both of whom had their eyebrows raised.

"Miss Granger, is there a problem?" asked Slughorn advancing on Hermione.

"Oh…N-no sir, I just dropped my scales. Um, could I have another set sir, please?" she asked although the unfortunate loss of her scales was the furthest thing from her mind, then.

"Of course m'dear. Do be more careful next time, won't you?"

Hermione nodded meekly and tried as best as she could to hide her trembling hands beneath her thighs._ Oh God, _she thought, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from crying._ Oh God oh God oh God, who was that? _What_ was that? Why would that monster have done something like that to me? Couldn't this have happened to me some other time? Not here, _she looked around hoping that everyone else had returned their attentions to their cauldrons, _not with all these people. Especially not with Harry and Ron right beside me. What if I had said something out loud? _

She looked round again, but thankfully everyone else had put on the ever-frequent woeful expression that always came with potion-making. She tried taking in several deep breaths, each as quietly and with as little movement as possible, lest Harry and Ron should notice. Swallowing hard, she accepted the new set of scales presented to her by Slughorn and went to work silently, as if the past two minutes had barely happened.

It was in the common room, while trying to complete a Transfiguration essay that the second memory loomed.

_She lays spread-eagled on the bed, while the black, shadowy form of a stranger, kneels above her hips. She watches them undress and fling clothes onto the ground. She feels a knee, then, pushing up between her legs. Her own knees are soon bent and drawn backwards and her thighs are pushed gently apart. Hermione sees her own hands reach out to touch the stranger, to feel, to get a taste. But her arms are stopped and brought silently over her head. The stranger mutters something then, but the voice is inaudible. As soon as the words leave their mouth Hermione feels her hands fly towards the bed posts, where she feels cords circle her wrists and tie them in place._

_You don't have to do anything tonight, my love. Just lie back and enjoy me. When the stranger speaks, Hermione can make out the words, but not the voice that speaks them. It is gruff and rough around the edges, no identity to it. Hands fly to her breasts again as the stranger works magic. She sees hips descend upon her own and feels the tickle of hair on skin._

Hermione broke out of her reverie, feeling downright sick to her stomach. She stood up hurriedly and dashed towards the bathroom, her palm pressed firmly against her mouth. She immediately dropped to her knees upon reaching the toilet and held tight to the seats as she retched, painfully inside.

When she was done and absolutely sure that she could not possibly have anything left in her little belly to heave up, Hermione stood up on shaky legs. She pointed her wand to her mouth and muttered a spell that freshened it up at once. She was heading out the door, convulsed in a slew of confusion, anger and helplessness, when she bumped into Ginny.

"Whoa there, Hermione. You okay? You don't look too hot." Ginny brought her hand up to Hermione's head, to feel her temperature.

"Humm, well yes, er I think I had, or must've had something nasty to eat during lunch, Gin. I'm fine." answered Hermione, bringing Ginny's hand away from her. She somehow did not feel comfortable being touched, at the time.

"Oh, yeah I know what you mean. The corned beef didn't agree with me too well either. You sure you're alright, though? You seem awfully pale." Ginny, again, brought her palm up to Hermione's cheek, where it slowly slid down to her neck. Hermione jumped at her touch, taking several steps back from a completely nonplussed looking Ginny.

"Hermione, did I do something?" she asked, concern etched in her every syllable.

"No, Gin. No. Of course not. I'm sorry. I've just had one of the toughest days of the year today. Homework and all, you know." Hermione managed a weak smile and slipped away, back to the common room.

Thankfully, Ron and Harry were engaged in a particularly violent match of Exploding Snap at the time, so they did not notice Hermione pack up her book bag and head toward her dorm in silence.

_She had started moaning again, now louder than before. Perhaps she was hoping to feel those lips straddle hers once more, she does not know. If so, however, she is not disappointed. The stranger leaps toward her lips again and deepens her into an entrancing kiss. When their lips part, the stranger whispers, "Not a sound, my love. Or you'll shatter the magic". Something about that night had makes Hermione believe every word._

_She fights to keep her cries_ _inside her throat as she feels a tongue slide over her inner thigh. Her hips buck as the tongue draws closer and closer to her vagina. The stranger's arms come up and push them down, strong but gentle all the same. The velvety wetness of the tongue flicks sharply between her legs. It is in one single, swift and sudden movement that it penetrates her, taking in the measure of her womanhood. Hermione feels it loll, twist and rotate inside of her and her hips burst up and down more violently. She feels the tongue rove deeper, fuelled by her own excitement and thrust forward by the stranger's arms on her hips. Her vaginal walls contract against the dripping snake, pulling them closer…closer…closer….Until it hits. _

Hermione's eyes flew open and she sat up stock straight, her heart pounding. She looked with growing dread between her legs and realized with a pang, that it was not just her forehead that was dripping wet.


	5. A Request Deadly, yet Sexual

If everyone had been thinking that Hermione had been acting dotty lately, Harry did not dare imagine what they'd say if they found out what _he_ had gotten himself into.

When Hedwig had flown in that morning in the Great Hall clutching an envelope in her beak, Harry was not that surprised, seeing that he had been getting a lot of mail this year, given the circumstances. It was only when he saw the strange green seal on it that he had started having doubts.

Upon closer inspection, Harry realized, with a pang of horror, that it was the Dark Mark. He had immediately moved toward Ron and Hermione to show them, when he halted, rethinking his decision.

This letter had something to do with Voldemort, no doubt. As much as Harry needed help in his quest to defeat the dark wizard, he also did not want to put his friends in the path of imminent danger. He had been thinking this over and over and had formed the single, solid conclusion that he had to handle this task alone, or risk losing whoever he loved.

"Ah guys, sorry but I think I'm going to have to go to the bathroom. NO- Ron no I'd be doing you a favor by telling you'd be better off _not _following me this time.", he added as Ron started to get up.

"OK mate, but you'd be missing out on some excellent chipolatas…." Ron taunted as Harry shot him a filthy look and spurted away. "So first you and now _Harry?_ Next thing you know, I may start doing the waltz with Mcgonagall." Ron looked over at Hermione, laughing at his own joke. She though, was lost in her own thoughts, leaving Ron to finish his chipolatas in a disgruntled silence.

Harry was speeding as fast as he could to the boys' bathroom, the envelope clutched tightly in his hand. He pried the door open and on checking that no one was inside, bolted the door firmly shut.

With a jittery hand, he ripped of the dark green seal, and slid the crumpled parchment out. He unfolded it and read its contents cautiously, as thought even the words could jump out and stun him. Harry, however, found himself reading the note three times over, to make sure that he had read every single word correctly.

_To Potter,_

_Let's skip the pleasantries and skip to the core of the matter shall we? I need you to meet me tonight at the Astronomy Tower. The stroke of midnight. Alone. Be there or I'll have to drag you up myself as a battered bloody pile._

_Draco Malfoy_

Draco Malfoy had personally sent a letter? To him? Whatever the reason was, Harry figured it had to be very important. His heart beat sped up as a new possibility dawned on him. Could Malfoy possibly have a piece of information linked to Voldemort's horcruxes? Or, Harry thought as his hope immediately dissolved into panic, had the Death Eaters captured someone? Out of instinct, Harry raced to the window and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Hagrid tending to his chickens outside of his hut. Whatever it was, Harry was definitely going up to the tower that night. Stuffing the parchment back into his pocket, Harry left the bathroom, inwardly grateful that neither Ron nor Hermione had seen this letter.

Holding his breath all the while, Harry had silently inched out of bed, thrown the invisibility cloak over his head and tip-toed out of the common room. Keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, he crept silently toward the tower on the seventh floor.

He reached the landing of the tower just as the Hogwarts clock chimed twelve. It was at that moment too, that Harry caught a glimpse of a figure on a broomstick headed toward him from the night sky. It drew closer and soon Harry could make out the shining platinum-blonde hair, the shimmering, yet cold grey eyes and the distinguishing smirk of Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy landed with a grace that was very unlike him, in front of Harry. He shook back his hair from his eyes and dusted off his robes, which Harry noticed, were woven out of the finest seaweed green silk.

"Yes, impressive isn't it, Potter? Serving the Dark Lord truly is far more rewarding that I'd have expected. Not that you'd know anything about rewards Potter. You've lived in, what- a cupboard, I hear, for half your life?" He smirked again, his grey eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"Shut the hell up Malfoy and get to the damn point."

"Oh, someone's a tad grumpy tonight. Haven't had your beauty sleep, Potter?"

"I'm warning you-" Harry began, but was interrupted by Malfoy.

"So I've come here tonight because I have some ah- information Potter. Information that you may find- helpful to your cause."

"I'm listening." Harry muttered, growing more wary.

"It involves the Dark Lord, Potter. Something that may be crucial to destroying him. As confusing as this may seem to one with a mind as futile as yours, Potter, may I remind you that I am in no way betraying the Dark Lord's trust in me by doing this. As such, I'd be needing something of a –what shall we call it-_favour_ from you, if you want this piece of information at all." He finished with a twitch of his brows, his gaze never leaving Harry's.

"That depends, Malfoy. Be specific about this information." Harry did not seem too enthusiastic to trust Malfoy just yet.

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't do that Potter. Not unless, you help_ me _first."

"And just why should I do that, Malfoy?"

"You should Potter, because this about the Dark Lord's _Horcruxes. _You thought none of his death eaters knew, didn't you? Well, I do Potter. And I know where you can find it, too."

Harry merely shook his head. "Be that as it may Malfoy, but why on earth would you want to divulge such a great secret to _me?_"

"I have my reasons Potter." Without a warning Malfoy lunged at Harry, pinning his shirt to the wall and grabbing his wand away from him. Bringing his lips to Harry's ear, he whispered in such a cold and deadly tone, that Harry was shaken from the inside out.

"I'm sure we all remember Granger, don't we?" Malfoy licked his lips hungrily, ravenously. "Come one Potter. A whore for a horcrux."


	6. The Greenhouse and so much more

Harry stared at Draco, long and hard, after the words left his lips.

"A w-whore?" He sputtered, both outraged that Malfoy had used such a word to describe his best friend and also worried that Hermione's "new" reputation had spread far beyond Hogwarts.

"Yes, didn't you hear me? Or has living with a parade of idiots here at Hogwarts partially impaired you?" Draco's grip then flew from Harry's collar to his neck, where it tightened painfully. "I haven't got much time left in this toilet, Potter. Either you give me an answer now, or-", his fingernails dug into Harry's skin as his grip was tightened further, so much that Harry could feel his eyeballs pop. "I choke you to fucking death right here."

Harry was coughing, spluttering, trying in vain to pry Draco's strong fingers off of his neck. When they remained gripped fast, Harry knew that he had no other choice but to give him an answer.

_He knows where I can find a horcrux. He knows where I can find a horcrux. I could gain the upper hand on Voldemort through this. I'll be one step closer to vanquishing him._

_Still, I can't give Hermione to him. God knows what this bastard will do to her. I'd be betraying her trust, our friendship, the bond that we've had for the past six years._

_But I get a horcrux. The good side gets a horcrux._

Upon making his decision, Harry looked at Draco squarely in the eyes.

"Take her." He rasped and at once Draco released him, sending him to a coughing, struggling heap onto the floor.

"Wise decision Potter. For that I'll make things a little easier for your measly brain to handle. Granger loves the library, doesn't she?" He brought his palms together and rubbed them. "Bring her there this Friday night at eleven and get her to be alone, just for a few moments. I could take it from there. If you don't, though," he lowered himself until he was at eye level with Harry. "Granger will find herself with not just me on her pretty tail."

"Go to hell, Malfoy." rasped Harry, rubbing his throat but throwing Malfoy and unfaltering, determined look all the same.

"Going, going." Malfoy threw his arms up in mock resignation. Kicking Harry painfully in the ribs, he mounted his broom. "Eleven o'clock." He smirked once more and took off into the sultry, moonlit night.

Harry stood rooted to the spot, staring after the diminishing figure in the sky. He had always expected to be faced with difficult decisions like this, but never one involving rape. And especially not one involving Hermione. Head spinning and lips trembling, he turned on his heels and headed back to the Gryffindor common room. He threw the invisibility cloak around his shoulders, but realized with a pang of guilt that it did nothing to hide the unspeakable shame that comes with betraying a best friend's trust.

At ten o'clock on Friday night, Harry had successfully managed to get Hermione alone with him, after hiding Ron's Potions essay, thus making him believe that he had lost it and had to rewrite the entire thing. As the door to the boys' dorm slammed shut behind a fuming Ron, Harry checked his watch. Ten-oh-five. There was still time to make this a believable lie.

"Uh, Hermione? I need your help on something, if you don't mind." The words that escaped his lips were not Harry's but a stranger's, artfully concealing menacing lies. He looked over at her sitting on the armchair before the fireplace, her head bowed and her arms folded on her lap.

"Hermione?" Harry called again, louder this time.

"What?" she asked suddenly, jerking out of her silence.

"Well I think I may have found something." He made sure to catch her gaze. "Something related to Voldemort's horcruxes." This succeeded in arresting Hermione's full attention. She sat and up implored for him to go on.

"Well um, it was in a book I saw in the library, the last time I was there." He chose his words carefully. "It's called 'Deals with the Dead' or something like that. So I was wondering if you wouldn't mind accompanying me up there tonight, you know, to check if that book's credible."

"Oh of course, Harry! Of course I'll help. This is just as much of my battle as it is yours." She gave him an encouraging smile and got up. "We'll search all night if we have to."

Th-thanks a lot Hermione. Thanks.", muttered Harry as he too stood up and followed Hermione out of the portrait hole, icy dread spreading in the pit of his stomach.

"No problem, Harry. This is ultimately for the better isn't it. I'm just glad you stumbled on _that_ book out of all the other thousands." She giggled and guilt stabbed at Harry again. As the pair of them walked toward the door to the library, Hermione silently opening it, a whole new sensation of trepidation exploded in the pit of his stomach that had nothing to do with being alone in the dark.

They had both come to a halt between two aisles in the Restricted Section. Harry immediately began rummaging through a thicket of thatched books, his fingers skimming across their titles.

"Ah damn!" Harry whispered in what he hoped sounded like exasperation.

"What? What is it?" questioned Hermione, concern evident on her face, as she made toward Harry.

"Somebody's moved it, I think. It's not here anymore." He swore silently, just so that Hermione heard him.

"Well, don't give up, Harry. It's bound to still be here somewhere. How about I check over there?" She pointed at the next aisle, giving Harry a reassuring pat on the back. She stole away from him, into the darkness, out of sight. Harry wanted to call out to her, to warn her, to save her. Instead he found himself muttering "Okay."

The next few seconds were a torture for Harry. He held his breath and waited for a cry, a scream. He heard it soon enough. A shriek that was distinctly Hermione's was stifled, followed by the heavy rustle of cloth and a painful thud. Without a second glance, Harry left Malfoy to finish his dastardly deed.

_Damn, this bitch isn't going down as fast as I'd hoped,_ thought Draco Malfoy, as Hermione's arms thrashed against his body, resisting as much as she could. Without another moment's hesitation, he muttered " Stupefy."

When she awoke, Hermione's gaze was glazed and her head was spinning. Her temples were throbbing painfully, but as she tried to lift a heavy arm to massage it, she realized that she could not. She tried to rub the giddiness out of her eyes, but could not do that either. She tried to sit up, but her triceps ached sharply whenever she tried. She shook her head several times until her vision was cleared. It took her a moment to recognize her surroundings, the man standing before her. Memories of the tussle in the library attacked her brain like a swarm of bees.

When she opened her mouth to scream, the man swooped down and covered her mouth in one swift motion.

"Uh-uh uh. No screaming in here, please. It wouldn't bode very well, Granger. It wouldn't ah- appease me" he rumbled, as his hands slid over Hermione's cheek and her neck. He lowered his lips onto her neck and sucked at his slowly, to get her taste inside of him. With a palm still pressed to her mouth, Draco's lips dotted her collarbone and dipped further down to the exposed skin on her chest. As Hermione began to struggle further, he crashed his own lips onto hers.

Her scream was stifled into a whimper as she felt Malfoy's teeth knocking against her own. His tongue broke into her mouth and revolved around the cavern and he could almost taste Hermione's fear. After this, Malfoy lifted himself and pointed his wand straight at her. Her final attempt to scream went unheard as the Silencio spell shattered her voice. Hoisting himself back on two feet Malfoy spoke again.

"Ah, that was bliss, Granger, wouldn't you say? Anyway, I feel that I would be taking advantage of this situation if I do not, at least let you know where you are. So take a good look around."

Swallowing hard, Hermione let her eyes roam over her surroundings. She realized with a pang of recognition that Malfoy had locked her up in one of the greenhouses. Plants, leaves and flowers entwined into one another all around her and pots stood in neat rows on either side. She stole a glance at her hands at feet and saw that they were fastened to the ground by large, dark green plants that were as thick as human arms. It was the humidity that got to her first, though. Rivers of sweat had already erupted all around her face, glistening in the moonlight and her clothes had become damp.

Without a chance to react, Hermione heard Malfoy cry out "Diffindo!" and all she could do was just watch in agony, as her robes ripped apart, leaving her wet, naked body exposed to Draco Malfoy.

"Oh God Granger.", he breathed as his eyes swept hungrily over his prey's body. Immediately, he freed himself from his own silk robes and threw them aside. He then looked down at his underwear, where his erection rose out imploringly. Hermione whimpered again.

"Yes, majestic isn't it, Granger? And guess what? You get to have the first _taste._" With that, he pulled his briefs away and sank to his knees at Hermione's chest. He held her head in his arms and brought her lips upon himself. He pushed his penis into her mouth where her lips straddle it. His eyes rolled back in his head as he let out a deep groan.

"Yes Granger.Yessss…", he moaned, pushing Hermione's head onto him harder. She merely closed her eyes and tried not to think of what was in her mouth. She longed to bite hi, but was afraid of how he would punish her later. She swallowed, but her tongue flicked up and she brushed his cock, sending him into moans of ecstasy.

"Oh yes, Granger. Not bad at all.", he moaned and after circling his hips slowly around Hermione's head another thirty seconds, he lifted himself off of her. Hermione immediately began coughing and spitting, the tears fresh in her eyes.

"Don't cry yet, Granger. The fun's only started." He began kissing her hard and passionately again while his hands slipped down to her breasts and began caressing them. His fingers crawled expertly like spiders over them, tugging and pushing and squeezing till they turned red. His kisses fell to her collarbone and down to her breasts, where Draco took one in his mouth, while massaging the other with his hands. His teeth closed hard over her nipple and tugged at it, drawing jumps of pain from Hermione. His hands then flew between her legs where he began vigorously rubbing Hermione's pussy. Her hips bucked, but Draco's strength kept them down. His head too flew between Hermione's legs, where he began biting and sucking at her pussy. He pushed his tongue roughly into her again and again and used his fingers to open her up even more. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the pain, but it kept coming and coming. She could feel his tongue revolving madly inside of her, sucking at her, forcing her juices out when she wasn't ready for it.

"Now for the main course, Granger." Draco smirked as he wiped his mouth and lowered his hips onto Hermione's. He pushed his penis into her roughly and forced the entire thing to slip inside if Hermione. He pushed himself against her hard and fast, paying no heed to the fresh tears that had sprung from her eyes. He pried her hole open with his fingers and pushed himself on her again, harder. He rotated his hips to fit in her better and let out a deep moan of satisfaction as he came down, hard and fast like a raging river.

He stood up and picked up his clothes from the soil. Taking one last look at the defeated body of Hermione, he muttered. "I didn't know you were a virgin Granger."

Smirking, he released her arms and legs and put his clothes back on. Grabbing his broom from the bench, he walked out.


	7. Guilt and an unexpected arousal

Author's note: Updates Galore!! Yes yes I've been feeling particularly "writy" this past few days so I've channelled all this positive energy into more chapters!!

PS: And just WHERE are my reviews? Please keep them coming, even if you're annonymous. I love reviews. Not flames though...

:D

Chapter 7

As Draco Malfoy, strode up Hogwarts' vegetable patch, wearing a very satisfied grin on his face, he noticed, much to his annoyance, that a deep red patch had stained the crotch of his pants.

"Damn mudblood bitch.", he muttered and with a wave of his wand, siphoned off the dried blood. When he looked up again, he noticed the bedraggled figure of Harry Potter advancing slowly toward him, his body cast in the milky silver glow of the moon. Potter's robes, Draco noticed, were rumpled and hung limp from his body, as though Potter had fallen asleep in them. His hair was disheveled and his glasses were propped crookedly on his thin nose. Upon spotting Malfoy, Harry straightened up and mustered the filthiest look he could manage.

"Where is she?", he demanded, a fiery outrage burning each syllable to a smouldering crisp.

"Don't worry m'am, your girlfriend's back there." Draco jerked his head toward the greenhouse from which he had just exited. "Maybe just a little disoriented, in a wee bit of pain, you know, she could use some TLC right about now. But oh- don't worry you'll have your beloved mudblood friend back among you soon enough." He smirked at Harry again and began to mount his broom.

"Hold on just one minute." Harry rounded on him, poised to grab the tail of his nemeses' freshly waxed broomstick the moment it should renege and take off. "What about the horcrux, Malfoy?"

The expression that crossed Draco's face was one of such pure bewilderment, that anyone would have believed it to be true. But Harry knowing better, felt like he had been punched ruthlessly in the gut.

"Whatever could you possibly mean, Potter?" he asked, tilting his head to one side to complete his picture-perfect frame of a boy who had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"What the fuck- Malfoy. You promised me you'd give me some information about Voldemort's horcruxes…What the hell do you mean you don't know?" Harry was on the verge of grabbing Malfoy's collar and shaking the truth out of him, to shake his own guilt and his own shame out of him, to shake him till they were rewound back to the past, where the deal would have never even been sealed……….

As though Malfoy had read Harry's mind, he replied, "You can torture the living hell out of me Potter, but you'll never be able to get the shame of what you did to your own best friend out of your conscience. And just think Potter-", Malfoy lowered his voice to a whisper, "- d'you really think Granger would be running around the school telling everyone she sees what happened to her, exactly? Hell no she won't Potter. And that's why- ", Malfoy mounted his broom, "- no one will _ever_ know what took place tonight."

When Harry pushed the heavy glass doors of Greenhouse 3 open, he was immediately stung by the immense humidity of the place and began to perspire above his lip and forehead almost at once. He stole forward into the darkness, led only by his instincts and sheer familiarity of the place. In the corner to Harry's right, was an unusually clustered portion of greenery, with pots of soil knocked over and the limbs of plants lying torn and sprawled on the ground. He could make out a figure there, however, lighted eerily by the glow of the moon. Hermione was curled up with her knees drawn to her chest, lying on her side on the ground and her robes draped around her.

Before he even knew it, Harry was beside Hermione, stroking her hair.

"H..Hermione? Hermione, are you alright? Oh please be OK, please be OK…", he whispered in her ear, stroking the soft satin of her cheek. He hoisted her body and hugged her to his chest, kissing the top of her head. His tears rolled down his cheek, memoirs of a guilt-wracked soul. He then, felt her begin to stir.

"Harry….Harry, is that y-you?", she asked, her voice laced with so much pain and so much doubt that it was a struggle for Harry to reply.

He stroked her back and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, Hermione. It's me alright."

"H-he jumped me in the l-library. M-Malfoy…", she broke up and was overcome by a fit of sobs. Harry held her tighter against his chest and wrapped his arms secure around her, a shield against any other evil this world would throw at her.

"I know. He er…st-stunned me. By the time I came, it was too late. I can't believe he did this Herm, I just bloody can't. Y-you don't deserve this…at all..I'm so sorry…", his voice too trailed off into tears.

"It w-wasn't your fault, Harry. You couldn't have done anything." She brought her fingers up to his lips to silence him, as Harry began to say something. "Not anything." She twined her arms around Harry, not even caring that the robes that covered her fell away as she moved her arms. She burrowed her face into his neck, for that was where she thought she was safest.

Carrying Hermione up to the hospital wing proved to be a very difficult task for Harry both physically and psychologically. He could not lift her with her robes in the way and so had to peel them all off of her sweaty body, bunch them under his armpit and then carry her naked body in his arms. He staggered painfully to his feet and began walking, hoping to high heavens that no one would see him in this state; disheveled, dirty and carrying a naked girl in his hands.

After struggling to, but successfully pushing open the large glass doors of the greenhouse, Harry stumbled into the open air. Sighing heavily, he whispered to Hermione.

"Breathe in the fresh air, Herm. Hope it's not too cold for you." She replied with a tiny grunt and began to inhale. As fresh night air streamed into her lungs, Hermione's chest expanded until her breasts caught the neon glow of the moon and glinted. Harry swallowed hard and tried to look away, realizing with a pang of discomfort that he had no choice but to look ahead, in order to avoid crashing idiotically to the ground.

Just at the precise moment, Hermione whispered. "It's freezing out here." She brought both her arms around Harry's neck and snuggled against him, her breasts pressing against his chest. Harry could definitely feel himself harden, but shook his head several times to shoo the thoughts away from his mind. _She is my best friend. She is my best friend._

At one point during his ascent up to the hospital wing, Harry tried to brush the flyaway hair off from Hermione's eyes; His bare elbow brushed against her nipples. A choking sound rose from his throat but Harry disguised it as a light cough. Hermione was too deep in a sleep too even notice.

Upon reaching the hospital wing, Harry's knees were already trembling with the weight. "Madam Pomfrey! We've got an accident here!", he cried out loud, waking Hermione from her sleep. As Madam Pomfrey began rushing toward them in her nightgown, Hermione took one look at her, at Harry, at the hospital wing and broke into a fresh deluge of sobs.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh my…" Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened with shock as she saw Hermione, dried blood staining her legs and tears running down her cheek. Her gaze then flew to Harry, alarmingly, accusingly.

"Hey, no! It wasn't me! I found her in the greenhouse like this! Now please t-take her before I collapse-" Madam Pomfrey hoisted Hermione out of Harry's arms and carried her over to the nearest bed, with a shocking amount of strength for an old lady. Harry trudged up to the chair beside Hermione's new bed and collapsed there, in a heap.

"Now we simply _must_ have this poor thing cleaned up. Here boy, spread her legs apart for me, would you?", asked Madam Pomfrey, too busy hurriedly picking up vials and rummaging through stacks of medical equipment to notice Harry's eyes widen.

"You what me to…W-what?", he spluttered, thinking that never in a million years could he summon the courage to do what Madam Pomfrey had just requested of him.

"Oh come on, dear boy! Seeing a naked woman isn't going to kill you! On the other hand if you don't hurry your little bum and spread her legs open, you just might kill _her!". _Madam Pomfrey achieved her desired outcome as Harry immediately sprang to Hermione and quickly but gently pried her milky white legs open.

"Good now point this at her-", Pomfrey handed him her wand, "-and say _Tergeo._ Don't stare at me like that boy, you're all the help I have now and we need to get her as clean as possible before it's too late!" She was shouting now, her hands skimming over glass medical objects and a stack of files at the same time.

Trembling, Harry pointed his wand at the juncture between Hermione's legs. There was dried blood framing it, but Harry could see the pink rose of her forbidden flesh clearly. His lip quivered as he muttered the spell but as soon as he did, a golden mist shot out from the tip of the wand and blanketed itself between Hermione's legs, cleaning her instantly.

Harry headed back toward the common room after Madam Pomfrey told him there he was no longer needed for assistance and that he should get some rest for he looked terrible. He wanted to tell Ron what happened at first, but decided against it, for the guilt would be swallowing him whole. He tossed and turned in his covers for three whole hours, but finally drifted off to a deep sleep.

_The stranger's hair tickles her as their head dives in and out from between her legs. She giggles and that seems to turn them on even more. She feels the slick wetness of the tongue explore the inside of her and gasps, over and over. It hits her, what they call a G spot and she is going to scream, but a hand comes up to cover her mouth. Her hips buck and the stranger moans into her flesh, their low rumbling voice sending tremors through her skin. She says she is going to explode, she warns. She throws her head back and lifts her hips in ecstasy as a thick river of cum oozes from her and pours out onto the stranger's lips and her thighs. She feels a kiss, one so filled with longing and passion plunge into her vagina. She closes her eyes and drifts off…_


	8. Making Love, Having sex, whichever

In his dream, Harry was in the greenhouse again, only this time; it seemed to be choked with leaves, branches and vines, like a dense thicket of forest. He could not see where he was going; the darkness seemed to be getting blacker every second.

Just then, a gleaming golden sword materialized in his palm. Harry gratefully used it to slash repeatedly at the vines and leaves before him, finally able to advance forward.

He noticed a shimmering light peek through the greenery and the more he slashed, the brighter it got. Finally, Harry stumbled upon a clearing, pinching his eyes shut against the glare of the glow. When he managed to look up, he saw Hermione, naked and perched on a vine-strung swing, a golden glow emanating from her body.

_She looks like a goddess. What a fantastic body…_Harry could only stand there gawking at the indescribable sight before him. Without a word, Hermione gracefully rose and walks toward him, leaving a trail of roses in her wake. She cups his cheek in one hand and leans in to kiss him. Harry snakes an arm around her bare waist and tugs her closer to him, at the same time parting his lips in eagerness….

A completely unceremonious snore from Ron abruptly broke Harry from his dream. His eyes flew open and it took him a few seconds to realize that that fantasy was only just a fantasy. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and surreptitiously crossed his legs beneath the blankets, to silence his boner.

_Why in the hell did I just have that dream? You know you can't be thinking of her in that way, she's your best fucking friend. Okay that didn't sound too good. Well anyway, you'd better get this out of your mind Potter or who knows what else you'd be dreaming up? It's disgusting!_

No matter how hard his inner voice reprimanded Harry to keep Hermione away from his testosterone-drenched thoughts, he secretly found himself wishing that Ron could have waited just another damn minute to erupt with his snore.

The next morning, a Saturday, Harry, Ron and Hermione and awoken early to visit Hermione in the hospital wing. They were immensely relieved to hear from Madam Pomfrey that Hermione had been thoroughly cleansed and only had to remain in the wing for one more night.

"Oh good, she's sleeping. Now she won't be able to notice me leave her these-", Ron mumbled, placing a small velvet pouch on the night-stand beside Hermione's bed.

"Ooh, what's in there?", asked Ginny with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Oh the usual. Chocolate frogs.", Ron answered casually, when in fact, the pouch contained every single chocolate frog he had saved for himself for the weekend.

The three of watched as Hermione began to stir, blink several times, rub the sleep from her eyes and try to prop herself up. Her arms quivered as she tried though and so she fell back on the bed.

"Here Mione', let me.", answered Harry first, although all three of them seemed keen to help. He held onto Hermione's arm and slid an arm around her back and lifted her slightly so that she could lean against the pillows.

"Thanks, Harry. Thanks all of you for coming….". She sniffed and smiled at them, her voice trailing away.

"No problem Herm, we're always here for you." , replied Ginny, flashing her a very reassuring grin.

"Yeah and I swear to you, Herm, I'll bloody kill the bloody git that did this to you. Can't you remember who that bastard was?", asked Ron, rage flaring up in his voice so fast that Hermione started.

She threw a nervous glance to Harry and answered, "No, Ron. I never saw his face."

_So this was what Malfoy had meant, _Harry thought._ Hermione can't bring herself to talk about it, to put it in words as though finalizing it. She's embarrassed and she's too scarred to say anything. To anyone._

Hoping to veer the topic as far off course of Hermione's rape as possible, Harry began to engage his friends in more light-hearted conversation, with the results of everyone laughing till their sides ached by the time they were done.

"Well," grunted Ginny, wiping a tear from her eye. "I think we'd better go now Hermione, we've all got quidditch practice. Oh dammit, we haven't eaten breakfast yet guys, come on!!", she yelled at, grabbing Ron by the collar, began darting out the door.

"We'll be back soon, Hermione. Take care, okay?", sighed Harry as he too, followed Ginny, taking one last look at Hermione, before he left.

That night, Hermione was gently shaken awake from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and squinted into the darkness.

"H-Harry?", she moaned out, thinking that it could not possible be morning again. The voice that answered was definitely Harry's.

"Heya Herm. I couldn't sleep. I've been thinking about you so much.", came his reply, as he began stroking Hermione's hair. "You know how beautiful you are, Hermione?", he cooed, brushing his lips over the skin of he forehead.

"Harry, w-what're y-", Hermione began to ask but was cut off by Harry's lips lining her own. The sensation of his touch, of the warmth in his lips was so surprisingly good, that Hermione found herself wrapping her arms around Harry's neck.

He deepened the kiss as he felt Hermione cling onto him. He parted his lips lightly and his tongue began to roll over Hermione's full blossom mouth. She opened her mouth and at once felt Harry's tongue slide in between her lips. Her own tongue lapped over Harry's and they both felt each other this way for a few glorious moments, their grip on each other tightening.

As they kissed, Harry brought his hand up to Hermione's neck and caressed it, while Hermione shifted over in her bed to allow him more room. He threw off the covers and crawled on top of Hermione, his kisses trailing down to her neck. Her skin prickled as she felt his lips slide over neck and pushed herself against him. As Harry began to kiss along Hermione's collarbone, his hands sliding from her neck to her full chest, he began to tug her spaghetti straps off, his fingers spidering along her bare shoulders.

Hermione sensed him try to remove her clothes and at once slipped her hands under his shirt, allowing her fingers to creep over his chest. She tugged off his shirt over his head and at once his hair became so rumpled that she pulled his mouth onto hers again, each moaning into the other's skins. Harry slipped Hermione's shirt off swiftly and felt her press her rounded breasts to his chest, her hardened nipples skimming over his own. He brought his mouth down and began to plant kisses in between her cleavage and pushed both breasts against his cheek from either side. He then took one nipple in his mouth and sucked gently at it, drawing a deep and sensual moan from Hermione's lips. He traced the other with his fingers teasingly and felt Hermione's knee draw up between his legs from under him. He smiled and lifted himself up from Hermione.

"You sure you're ready for this?", he asked, in a voice so tender that Hermione lifted his hand up to her lips and planted a kiss on it. He untied her little mini-shorts while she loosened the knot on his pajama bottoms. Seeing the large damp stain on the crotch of her shorts, Harry smiled again and began to trace his fingers along Hermione's inner thigh.

"Ohh Harry…Oh please, Harry…", she began to moan, her hands down caressing the tip of Harry's full blown erection. She slid her hands up and down his cock and bounced her slender fingers on his balls, then wrapping them tight with the warmth of her palm. Harry moaned deeply and pushed Hermione's legs apart. She bent her knees out of pure yearning.

Harry poised his penis over Hermione's wide open vagina, not completely sure if he was doing the right thing, especially after what she had gone through the night before. However, when Hermione rubbed the underside of his cock, bucked her hips toward him and moaned sensually, he knew he hadn't made the wrong choice.

He pushed himself into her gently, but hard, slowly but mind-blowingly fast, lovingly but conquered by lust. He pumped against her slowly, rythmatically, every one of their moans enticed by the sweetness of their love. He deepened into her and hit her spot, sending waves of exhilaration so powerful through each of them, that they could no longer tell the difference between night and day, right and wrong, for all that mattered at that moment, was each other.

Hermione snuggled against him, her head leaning on his chest. His arms and legs were knotted around her and they were one body.

"We'd better get our clothes back on before Poppy sees..", Harry whispered and there they fell asleep, dreaming sweet nothings.


	9. Buds of the Unexpected

Author's note: Boy, can I hear you now. Channeling the spirit of Julie Walters from Cos the movie. "Where _have_ you been? Updates empty, no author's note, reviews gone! You could have _died_ you- ", OK maybe not that far. But anyways you get the point…right?

I'm finally back! Very sorry about the two-month hiatus to those who've been earnestly awaiting an update, especially those who reviewed demanding for one, school started in January you see. I'm sure that speaks for itself (First year in college mind you) Thankfully here I am, presenting you wiiiithhh… A New Chapter!! Hope this quenches your thirst to anyone who's been thirsty. ;)

Chapter 9

_The bedspreads are already very crumpled and no longer feel as warm as they first had. As her hands flail across the velvet blankets, she feels damp, cold patches of sweat, expectoration and ejaculation. Unfamiliar hands are traipsing down her body, as though they own it. An unfamiliar body looms up ahead of her, rising and plunging before her like a tidal wave. She feels a tongue flick across her inner thigh and she soars. The next moment, the uninvited guest thrusting inside her abode crashes her to the ground. Her eyes search furiously in the darkness and her gaze stumbles upon a momentary glint of light. Then a soft kiss is planted on her cheek and she now hears the quiet voice of her Harry in her ear. She reaches out to touch his face, a calming warmth flooding her heart, when he lifts his head. She sees not the familiar bright green, but instead the cold steely stare of Draco Malfoy._

When Hermione surfaced from her nightmare, neither did she sit bolt upright and try to shake the images from her mind, nor scream, cry out, or even so much as whimper. She pinched her eyes shut fast, still curled on her side, trying as hard as she could to dissociate herself. This was where she had believed she was safest, eyes shut tight against the world like a protective veil, but as Malfoy ruthlessly continued to pound in her head, she realized that safety was only more of a privilege.

At the sounds of gentle tinkling and rustling by her bedside, Hermione dragged her eyes open like granite against a rocky road. The brilliant morning sunshine tickled her pupils but soon illuminated Madam Pomfrey, who was setting down a new tray of medication on the bedstand.

"Ah, marvelous Miss Granger, you're awake. I daresay you've had a good night's sleep", she sang, clearing the used bottles and vials. "And just in time too, you'll be taking your medication in a few minutes", she added, checking the time while balancing a full tray of cups and vials in her hand and several glass bottles under her armpit.

Hermione nodded and slowly raised herself to a sitting position. The straps of her nightgown hung on the crooks of her elbows from last night's lackadaisical redressing. She hastily pulled them up to her shoulders and smoothed down the bottom of her nightgown as well as the creases on the bed to make it as if nothing had happened.

Had _anything happened though? _Hermione asked herself, trying hard to find distinct footholds from her night's memory. She had been thrown open so many times already and a whole ocean of recollections was tossing and churning about her, some as solid as stone and others as opaque as shadows. So convulsed were these thoughts that her mind could not even reach the next level that was choosing between regret and settling for innocence.

At that moment, however, Harry appeared at the doorway to the hospital wing and Hermione's doubts were instantly cleared. Seeing him standing there, flushed hot and his cheeks burning pink, Hermione knew that what happened the previous night was not just an insane memory. Her eyes lit up and she felt a strong surge of blood to her neck.

"Hey Harry", she managed, compacting her rush of emotion into a soft murmur. As he returned her shy smile and walked towards her, Hermione thought it was impossible not to feel the growing electric intensity between the two of them, so much so that she actually stole a sideways glance at Madam Pomfrey too see if she'd been affected too. He reached her bedside, locking eyes with her and placed his hand on hers. It was as though a volcano had erupted inside each of them. Before either of them knew it, they had both lunged into each other's arms, pressing their bodies tightly together and shared a ravenous, almost violent kiss. Wrapped tight around Hermione, Harry surfaced from the kiss and buried his face in her neck, breathing hard. "I should have never left last night, Mione'." She stroked his cheek and brushed her lips over it. "Yeah, you shouldn't have."

After an awkward silence during which Madam Pomfrey had broken the pair apart, with some difficulty, and fed Hermione her medicine, Hermione contemplated telling Harry about the absurd nightmare she had had that night. She was about to, when she realized that if she did tell him about this dream, she'd have to talk about those recurring ones as well; the ones involving her and someone completely unidentifiable. As much as she wanted that big black hole in her life filled up, she felt this wasn't the right time. She was not going to ruin any budding relationship she form have with Harry with any third…or fourth party.

As she swallowed that idea down, together with a particularly nasty mouthful of green liquid, Harry sidled over next to her on the bed. Hermione shut her eyes and cozied up against him, her head resting on his shoulder and their hands interlocked. He tilted her head up the tiniest bit and pulled her into a gentle kiss. Her hands caressed his cheek, deepening the lip lock. He snaked a hand to her neck and rubbed tenderly over her collarbone. Their mouths opened wider and their tongues lapped and rocked each other. Harry trailed his kiss down over her chin to the side of her neck and his free hand drew circles beneath her nightgown. Hermione gave his ear a sensual lick and moaned against his cheek as she felt his wet lips trace her skin. Their arms were wound tight around each other and they were pressed up so close that not even a breath of misgiving could have felt its way through. Here was where it was safe, Hermione realized. Somewhere she was completely vulnerable to the outside world, but entirely protected by this badge of unspoken love between them both. Here, Hermione felt unafraid, composed and most importantly, whole.

The two of them could have lain there for minutes, hours, even years-it didn't matter. But the magic was soon broken by an ostentatious cough. Both Harry and Hermione opened their eyes at the same time to see an entirely disgruntled looking Ron and amused looking Ginny at the foot of the bed.

"Looks like you two have gone to the moon and back without moving very much from here at all", laughed Ginny as Harry clumsily plodded off the bed and Hermione tried to get herself into as dignified a sitting position as she could manage.

"Sorry as we are to butt in on anything," Ron tried in vain to mask a look of utter repulse, "we've got Potions in about thirty seconds so you might want to hurry up just a teeny bit Harry."

"Oh for God's sake, I totally forgot about that!" cried Harry straightening up at once. "Sorry Herm, gotta dash." He leaned in to her slightly crestfallen face. "Don't worry, I'll be back again." He pecked her cheek and flew towards the exit, Ron and Ginny in tow.

"Yeah he'll be back Herm. We _all_ will be", giggle Ginny, waving cheerily as she disappeared round the corner.

"I know you can't stand missing Potions, so there's not much I can do except to tell you to _try_ to stand it.", called Ron as he too, with a smile, disappeared round the bend. Hermione watched after the three of them, still reeling from the strong intimacy she had just experienced with Harry and traced her fingers around the outline of his shape that Harry had left behind.

_Damn she was hot. All curled up with her clothes hanging loose and her jugs spilling out. What I wouldn't give for another two seconds with that piece of heaven. What I wouldn't do to get my hands on her, to feel her skin on my own, my skin inside her…Damn I want her so bad…_


	10. Sanguine Secrecy

Chapter 10

Harry and Ron departed from Ginny as she fled to her DADA class on the third floor and tore toward the dungeons. Harry though, could only feel his legs and was only going through the motion of running for the sake of it. He blindly dashed behind Ron in the pathway that Ron was clearing for him, turning wherever Ron turned and speeding up whenever Ron sped up.

When they finally reached their Potions classroom in the dungeons, both Harry and Ron took grateful advantage of the fact that Slughorn had his back turned to the class and silently slipped into two empty seats with their fellow Gryffindors. Strangely, none of them had really paid much notice to their arrival but seemed to be deeply engrossed in Slughorn's lesson, judging from how intently they were staring at the front of the class.

"- many a marvellous achievement that could never have been possible if not for his devotion to the subject", Slughorn was saying, scribbling a name on the blackboard. _Eldred Worple, _Harry read. _That sounds really fam- _His thoughts were cut off by the very grainy sound of someone nervously clearing his throat. With a jolt, Harry and Ron realized that there were two other people in the room. Two people who were standing so far back in the shadows that it was no wonder Harry and Ron could not see them earlier.

The first was a small, bespectacled mouse of a man, Eldred Worple, whom Harry recognized seeing in one of Slughorn's parties the previous year. He was smiling nervously at the class and a tic was visibly forming over his left eye.

It was however, the second man (_would he even classify as a man_, Ron wondered) standing next to Worple who had arrested everyone's attention. Emaciated and gaunt yet tall, poised and carrying an air of dignity about him, was a vampire. His flowing silk cloak was swathed handsomely around his lean body and shimmered mystically in the silver glow of the dungeon candles. His hair was smoothly slicked back and ended in a plunging widow's peak on his forehead. His thin eyes glinted red and there were dark shadows beneath them. Two sharp, white points were also visible at the corners of his pale lips. Harry recalled with another jolt that he had seen this vampire the previous year as well. _Sanguini._

Slughorn's booming voice rang about the room again. "Mr Worple and of course, his friend Sanguini have graciously agreed to grace our presence this morning, but I am afraid they cannot stay very long due to ah- ", he tossed a nervous glance at Sanguini "complications. As such each of you will be limited to just one question each, so please, be wise in your inquiries." As the class lined up in a single row in front of Worple and Sanguini, Harry and Ron noticed, with a pang of incredulity, that the girls had clustered right in front. Assuming they they'd be scared right out of their wits at the sight of a full-fledged vampire, it surprised Harry and Ron to see that they were most enthusiastic about talking to him. Craning their necks, they managed to catch snippets of the girls' hushed and excited whispers.

"He is _such _a dream! I absolutely _adore_ his eyes!"

"So debonair.."

"I wonder what he'll be like in bed-"

Completely repulsed by what they had heard, Harry and Ron exchanged looks of disgust before looking over at Sanguini to figure out just what it was about him that had gotten these girls all hot and flushed. Already speaking to Pansy Parkinson, who was first in line, Sanguini had the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips and held an almost hungry look in his lazy eyes. What would have passed off as perverted on the face of any other man, seemed almost fitting on Sanguini's, for the vampire's suave exterior.

That afternoon, as Hermione lay in bed munching on one of Ron's chocolate frogs and dreaming up Harry in a thousand different ways, she saw Madam Pomfrey approach her with a warm smile. She immediately sat up in bed, expectant and excited to finally hear those sweet sweet words.

"You're discharged, Miss Granger." Madam Pomfrey smiled and handed Hermione a new set of school robes to replace the one that had been ruined. "Now, please do be careful next time, dear. To be honest I don't see many cases like this in Hogwarts, but that doesn't mean you're totally safe." She sighed and placed her palm, large and warm on Hermione's. "You're absolutely sure you don't know who did this to you?" Hermione swallowed and shook her head. Nodding, Madam Pomfrey saw her off.

As Hermione silently headed back up to the Gryffindor common room, she rehearsed the lines that she had practiced the night before over and over again. _If anybody asks, just tell them that I had a nasty fall down the stairs to the Astronomy Tower._ _Nasty fall. Stairs. Astronomy Tower._

Her train of thought suddenly screeched to an immediate halt when a figure collided with her and a mass of long, red, flowing hair obscured her vision.

"Hermione, you're finally discharged!" squeaked Ginny, exhilaration dancing in her every syllable. "Oooh I've missed you so so so much! I'm so glad you're ok now!" she cried wrapping Hermione in a bone-crunching embrace.

"Heh, th-thanks Gin. I've missed you a lot too", Hermione managed.

"Well anyways," Ginny continued, her excitement still at its maximum, "This weekend's Hogsmeade weekend and you know what that means right? Shopping!", she cried, tugging Hermione along with her into some sort of silly jig in the middle of the corridor. "Just the two of us Herm, it'll be _such_ a great welcome back present, won't it?" Caught up in the infection of Ginny's mood, Hermione couldn't help laughing and danced along with her, glad to be back in familiarity.

The weekend bloomed, as bright and promising as the large flock of sixth and seventh years that pooled around the oak double doors, excited at the prospect of re-visiting the much missed village of Hogsmeade. The caretaker, Argus Filch, stood at the entrance of the building with his customary Secrecy Sensor stick and prodded each student wherever he could reach. Harry and Neville were standing with Ron, both of them looking thoroughly amused as Ron ducked and dodged behind random students to avoid the searching gaze of Lavender Brown. Ginny and Hermione were both hesitantly awaiting their go under the prurient prodder.

Argus Filch smirked up at the both of them, revealing chipped, yellowing teeth as his Sensor dipped into Ginny's cleavage and then a tad too far in between her legs. When Hermione stepped up, he poked her on each nipple and rubbed the rod on her inner thigh. "We're al done here, ladies", he grinned shamelessly as they both threw him their most repulsed faces and strode off.

Upon reaching Hogsmeade, Hermione and Ginny couldn't help but stop in their tracks, shut their eyes for a few seconds and take in the wonderfully chilly ambience of approaching winter.

"It's beautiful." Hermione sighed and upon satisfying their nostalgic cravings, they both set off. Their first stop was to Madam Puddifoot's, where they nestled in two warm and toasty beanie chairs with steaming mugs of butterbeer, joking and laughing with all the spirit of a caged animal let loose, despite drawing disapproving glares from the numerous couples surrounding them. Later, they strolled down to Honeydukes where the invitingly warm air, thick with the scent of sweets and honey drew them in. They left with their bags stuffed to the brim with Sugar Quills, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Exploding Bon-bons and Toothflossing Stringmints. Thinking they were going to take a leisurely stroll back to Hogwarts, Hermione was taken off guard when Ginny pulled her into a shop into which Hermione had never stepped foot into. It was called "Bondage and Bliss" and was strictly only for adults.

"Ginny! What do you think you're-", Hermione cried but was shut off when Ginny clamped a hand over her mouth and shushed in her ear.

"Shutup Herm, you don't want anyone to catch us in here, would you?", Ginny hissed, yanking Hermione into the shop and out of sight from the street outside. Angry and confused, it took a while for Hermione to begin to digest the appearance of the shop. It was small and dodgy, with flickering candles place along the walls to illuminate the place. The walls and ceiling were a deep red and the floor was a large black carpet. Whips and cuffs of every material were arranged neatly in shelves nailed to the wall. Cabinets labeled stood in rows and contained an array of boxes in every size and colour with labels, the closest of which read "toys" and "chocolates" Several racks of clothes also stood at the back of the shop, flanking a dimly lit corridor that had a poorly painted sign that read "Changing room" hanging above it. There was nobody in the shop except the cashier, who was a scroungy looking old man, who seemed too pre occupied in a magazine to notice that two potential customers had just walked in. Swallowing a rising bout of uneasiness, Hermione turned to Ginny and angrily hissed in her ear, "And just why did you drag me into his dump of a place?"

"Calm down Herm, ok? Look, I just wanted to but some lingerie and I figured this was the best place to find some. The clothes here are awesome and cheap too!", she answered, nodding towards the racks in the rear.

"Oh, I'll bet they're cheap alright." Hermione muttered, reluctantly following Ginny to the lingerie. As Ginny began fervently skimming over the folds of clothes, Hermione just stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, trying not to breathe in any of the foul air. Just then, she felt someone push past her. Turning angrily to look, Hermione found herself staring at two sixth year Slytherin girls who were now busy examining their new outfits in a grimy mirror. Hermione forced herself to stifle a gasp, even though she recognized these two girls as the well known sluts of Hogwarts. One of them had managed to fit herself into a pair of denim shorts so tiny that they could have passed off as one large belt and a push-up black leather bra. The other was in just a hot pink g string and a tiny hot-pink bra that looked at least two sizes too small for her.

"You think these are too small for me?" the second girl asked her friend and then turned to the shopkeeper with a quizzical look. He tossed aside his magazine and darted towards her, kneeling down and snapped the underside of her g string, drawing giggles from the pair of them. Hermione was saved from the sight by Ginny who promptly tapped her on the shoulder and held up a very lacy and transparent piece of cloth in front of her.

"What do you think? Bit see-through I admit, but it feels really soft. Should I try it on? Yes, I think I should", she decided and tucked it under her arm. She then pulled out another hanger from the rack and showed it to Hermione. "I think this'll be perfect for you", she announced, thrusting the bundle into Hermione's arms. "Come on, let's see how they look on us!" she squeaked excitedly and disappeared into the corridor before Hermione had a chance to protest violently. Sighing heavily, Hermione held up the outfit Ginny had handed her and examined it. It was a small, black corset, made of saffron, with fur lining its seams and lined with hard wire. It was rather transparent, especially around the breasts and the hips where the saffron ran thin. _It is pretty though. Very sexy. Won't hurt to try it on will it?_

Shrugging, Hermione walked into the corridor and entered a tiny booth behind a black curtain. She shucked off her jeans and tank top and her underwear too, when she realized that she couldn't possibly wear any underwear beneath the corset. Biting her lip, Hermione contemplated putting on the corset again. _There's no one here Hermione. Just Ginny and she doesn't care how you look. _Nodding to herself Hermione slowly slipped one leg into the corset, followed by the other. Sucking her stomach in she pulled it up over her hips and her stomach and her chest, where it firmly hugged her round breasts. _This doesn't feel so bad, _she thought to herself. _This is really comfy actually. _

With a new confidence, Hermione stepped out of the changing room and into the light of the shop. Ginny was already posing in front of the mirror, her curves showing prominently. When Hermione saw herself in the mirror, donned in that corset, she too was suddenly taken over by a strange sensation, one of such confidence and fearlessness. A feeling she liked a lot. Even the shopkeeper was staring at both Hermione and Ginny, his jaw falling open and a thrilled gleam in his eyes. Hermione smiled and spun on the spot, reveling in how sexy and liberated she was feeling.

It was then that her eyes locked with those of an utterly horrified looking Ron peering at them through the glass window.


	11. Sanguine Seduction

"Oh. My. God." Ginny's eyes widened in the shock of being caught off-guard(or off clothes in general, for that matter). With a single, fleeting glance of helplessness at Hermione, she bolted back into the darkness of the changing rooms. As badly as she wanted to join Ginny, Hermione stood rooted to the spot for she knew that Ron had already seen them and that it would be completely pointless to hide at all. Still recovering from the initial shock however, Hermione took an inadvertent step back and tumbled over the shop-keeper who had stooped to inspect her taut thighs. She fell most unceremoniously, grabbing the old man by his sleeve and yanking him to the ground with her, such that he now lay with his head right in between her legs.

"That is IT!", she heard Ron roar from the outside. He burst the door open, rattling it on its hinges and furiously stormed towards the pair of them, brutally lifting the old man to his feet. He glared viciously at Hermione, who could think of nothing else to do but shoot him a sheepish smile. He ignored it and roared again.

"Ginny! Get out here right this bloody instant!".

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming…" came Ginny's meek reply, her voice muffled by the fabric of her school robes. Hermione's heart was racing and her head clogging up with growing anxieties; _Here I go again, getting into a totally embarrassing situation; How can Ron ever look at me the same way again; Oh gosh I hope no one else sees…_

The silence that hung between them was heavy and awkward and Hermione tried her best to ease it by busying herself, trying to get into an upright and dignified sitting position and dusting off her minimal clothing. Ron was making no attempt to hide his fury; he looked almost like he was ready to kill Hermione then and there.

The sound of Ginny's hesitant footfalls broke the pregnant silence and Hermione stared at her with a subconscious rush of gratitude that was quickly punctured by the nastiness of the circumstances.

"So," began Ron, impatiently tapping the ground with his foot. "Just what it flaming heck do you two think you're doing?" At the silence, he yelled. "Answer me dammit!" The two girls only looked haplessly at each other. Ginny broke into tears.

"Oh gosh Ron, I'm r-really really s-sorry! We d-didn't mean anyone any harm. Oh p-please Ron d-don't yell like that!" She heaved and trembled over her words, hiding her face in her hands like an innocent, lost child. If she had desired for any particular outcome from this, she got it. Ron's expression immediately softened and he swooped down in all his brotherly chivalry and embraced his sister. She sobbed harder into his shoulder.

"It's alright Gin. Don't cry. It's OK. I promise I won't tell mum any of this.", he added as though reading her mind. Hermione silently watched this scene, hoping to the high heavens that Ron's anger had dissipated. Noticing the angry red flush in his ears fade away, she breathed a silent sigh of relief.

After some moments, Ron whispered in his sister's ear, "C'mon Gin. Let's get out of this rat-hole." Drying her eyes with the back of her hand, Ginny complied and staggered to her feet. Without so much as a glance to Hermione, who still lay crouched on the ground, she buried her face in Ron's arms as he led her out of the shop. Before the left however, Ron threw Hermione a look of such disgust mingled with hurt that she couldn't help but break into sobs as well.

"There there pretty miss, no need to cry" she heard the old man croak as his hand began to stroke her bare shoulders. Crying out in repulsion, Hermione pushed him away and flew towards the changing room, where she changed back into her robes and ran from the shop as fast as her legs would carry her.

With every place in Hogsmeade temporarily out of the question, Hermione decided to head straight for Hogwarts where she could at least be safe from Ron's accusing eyes in her dorm. It took her a considerably longer time to reach Hogwarts, having had to skirt around the village along its back alleys. After enduring another thoroughly embarrassing search from Filch, she made her way towards the common room, praying hard that she wouldn't have to bump into either Ginny or Ron along the way. Upon reaching it, Hermione muttered the password, leapt out of the portrait-hole and into her prefectorial four-poster bed.

Hermione lay in bed, fixing her eyes on the ceiling, trying as best as she could to block out all thought. She could find no worthy explanation to justify her behavior that day. This grotesque change in character had started right from the start-of-term celebration, as Hermione still recalled so vividly. An invisible force had overtaken her senses that night and had apparently refused to let go. _And that mysterious stranger- _Hermione thought, a block forming in her throat. Ever since that night, Hermione could find no explanation to the predicaments she had been falling into. The rape, sex with Harry and now this. Hermione tried again and again to block out all thought, to block out all sense and reason and guilt. It wasn't long before she realized that that was impossible.

Hermione opened her eyes, he lids of which felt unnaturally heavy. She blinked hard several times and looked around, noticing that shafts of moonlight had pervaded her room. Shaking the drowsiness out of her head, Hermione slowly got to her feet and walked to the bathroom. It then that she noticed a curious little gleam coming from the edge of the sink. _A razor? _she thought._ No, it's too flat. Can't be a mirror either. L_ured on by her curiosity, she rose from the tub and approached the sink. She saw a silver envelope, lined with red and black velvet on the edges, gleaming from the bathroom chandelier. It was addressed to Ginny Weasley.

_What's a letter for Ginny doing here?_, thought Hermione. She assumed that it was probably delivered her by mistake until she saw that its seal had already been opened. Cocking an eyebrow, Hermione lifted the flap and slid the parchment out.

The letter did not even seem to be made of the thick and coarse parchment that they were used to, but instead seemed to be woven out of the finest silks in the world. It cascaded like water over Hermione's fingers but still managed to remain erect enough to read off. It was glossy and the sleek black words upon it seemed to shimmer with a life of their own. It read:

_Dearest Miss Weasley,_

_You are cordially invited for a dinner party down in the dungeons tomorrow evening with yours most truly, Sanguini. This is to commemorate my leaving Hogwarts and London for darker prospects back in Eastern Europe. Your attendance would be greatly appreciated. It would be excellent if you were to bring along a partner of your choosing for the event._

_Yours,_

_Sanguini_

_PS: Hermione do you want to come with me? I wanted to ask you in person but Lavender said you were asleep._

Still groggy, Hermione had to read the letter twice through before she understood that it was Ginny who had been referring to her at the bottom. Deciding to mull the proposition over in the bath, she stripped and stepped into the bathtub, filling it with hot, scented water to the brim. She lowered herself in it slowly and laid her head back against the edge, where she shut her eyes and basked in the peace and silence of the night. Vampires had always intrigued her and getting to meet one in person was a thrilling prospect. Yet, it was something about the manner of Sanguini that she remembered from her first encounter with him in Slughorn's party that begged her reconsideration. Letting the warmth of the water fill her both outside and in, Hermione decided to take the chance.

The next evening, Hermione found herself seated before the large mirror in the prefects' bathroom with Ginny, adorning make up, laughing and chatting- conveniently evading the topic of Ron from her mind. It was going to be another exciting girls' night out and this time, with an actual vampire. The two could hardly contain their enthusiasm and presently made their way towards the dungeons, dressed glamorously in chic, black evening gowns.

The dungeons had been entirely transformed. Although, still dimly-lit, the atmosphere was a lot more sultry than the usual ominous gloom that always seemed inevitably tied to it. The brackets along the wall had been filled with ornate golden candles, casting long dancing shadows of those present along the cobbled floor. Red and black rivers of silk rode in soft waves around the walls and a long ebony table stood imperiously in the middle, laden with morsels of every size, taste and origination. The guests, Hermione and Ginny noticed, were mostly sixth and seventh-year female students, most of whom, like Ginny, had chosen to bring their girlfriends instead of boyfriends. The two of them could not help but stand motionless to come to terms with the pleasantly different surroundings.

"Ah, Miss Weasley. Very glad you could make it. And I see you have brought along a friend. May I have the honour of knowing your name, Mademoiselle?" Sanguini grasped Ginny's extended hand and kissed it, before turning to Hermione.

"It's Hermione Granger, sir.", she murmured, blushing he took her own hand gently in his and pressed his lips to it.

"Oh no need for some pleasantries here, m'dear. Just Sanguini will do." Hermione almost mistook the twinkle in his dark eyes for a wink. She was at a loss for words, completely stunned by Sanguini's debonair countenance, his tall lean body swathed elegantly in sleek black robes and his pale face, brought to life by his strangely handsome pallor.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you for quite s-some time, si- Sanguini.", she managed, hoping that the rosy flush rising in her cheeks wouldn't be obvious. "I've read all about vampires and I think you all have such fascinating lives."

"Ah- that we do, that we do, for as creatures of the night, our lives cannot help but be filled with the thrill of the unknown.", he replied, his eyes fixated on Hermione and a smile forming on his thin mouth.

_There's sex in his eyes. I can feel it. _As soon as this thought crossed Hermione's mind, she found herself at a loss for words. Her eyes immediately fell to the ground as she frantically began to find a way to break the silence. When her eyes flew back to Sanguini again, she found him staring at her body, down the exposed cleavage from her low-cut dress and over her accentuated curves. He took a step towards her.

"Madmoiselle, would you care for a dance with Sanguini?", he asked before Hermione could react and again, held out a slim white hand for her to take. Hermione didn't reply but glanced shyly up into Sanguini's eyes and as though that were consent enough, he took her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. Hermione could not help but fall into step with him, as he slowly moved in rhythm with the slow, enchanting music that suddenly seemed to permeate the dungeons. She looked over Sanguini's shadow and found girls staring at the pair of them, jealously blatantly obvious in their glares. She searched for Ginny, but her eyes closed with a sharp intake of breath as she felt Sanguini's cold hands slide up to her exposed back. He breathed comfort into her neck, his breath falling cold and arresting over her goose-pimpled skin. She felt his arms press her body closer to him, still swaying to the slow beat. He twined his long fingers with hers and ran them through her soft hair. Hermione could feel her own heart beating but even as her own chest was pushed close against him, she could not feel his. As she inadvertently felt her own hands snake up to rest on Sanguini's back, he put one hand on the exposed skin on her breasts and caressed them, hidden within the black folds of his cloak such that no one could see it. Hermione tightened her eyes shut and struggled to contain a soft moan of pleasure. He traced one long white finger over the edge of her dress and slyly slipped it in, feeling the measure of Hermione's breast and brushed it over her nipple. His touch was so cold that Hermione bit her lip, not daring to move away. This hand then snaked silently down over her belly and stopped between her legs and Hermione felt herself throbbing against his finger.

"Do you want to come for a walk with me, Mademoiselle?"


	12. Sanguine No More

Author's note: Has it really been ten months since I last updated? To all those who have been patiently waiting ( I doubt any of you still bother coming back to check) I am incredibly sorry. I would completely understand if you've moved on to search for greener stories but there will nevertheless be the relentlessly hoping part of me that hopes all you wonderful people will come back. To those reading me for the first time, do enjoy, this story has been known to excite it more ways than one ;)

Chapter 12: Sanguine No More

A moment of hesitation and fleeting contemplation wavered beneath the undeniably transcendent allure of roguish charm. His finger throbbed against her once more and as she clutched onto his body for dear life, the screaming sex in the intoxication of his scent wiped out all thought.

When her eyes fluttered open in the misty dawn of sultry midnight, Hermione at once recognized the hidden cavernous insides of an underground grotto close to the Black Lake. She had been there one too many times to catch up on her reading. It was the one place where she would never be scrutinized, never laughed at…It was perfect. She was draped across the lean form of Sanguini, her legs coiled around his pelvis and his arms cradling her bottom. She breathed him in again and this time, the scent of cold birthing dew drops intermingled with the night wind sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. Sanguini had sensed it. She could practically hear him leer.

"Excited, are we, darling? Not to worry, we are here, we are here…", he whispered into the sensitive delicacy of her neck, creating another, stronger shudder. Hermione grasped him tighter. In a moment, she felt herself being lowered into a deeply scooped, if not slightly moist surface of hard, black rock. She was sitting upright, leaning backwards against the small rock wall and her hips were perched nicely on the edge of her seat, legs left dangling loose. Her bed was warm, moist, comfortable and all that was good. Her hair, quickly dampened, lay in thick streaks over her face and chest. The tall, looming silhouette of Sanguini stood motionless for a moment, admiring his prize.

At once, with a single, glorious sweep of his long finger, the cavern was illuminated in shimmering silver. Hermione's black dress glowed a blinding white and Sanguini's cloak blazed the same. The black rock surface became a smouldering marble bedchamber and the walls of the cavern closed in on them like the moon had taken refuge in it. The next instant, the brightness was gone and as all the blinding silver settled into a soft, quiet white, Sanguini settled his body over Hermione's. His knees straddled her waist on either side and as he had her locked beneath him, another single, swift movement of his finger down the centre of his robes loosened them to a gentle puddle on the ground.

Hermione's intake of breath was sharp; Sanguini was a fantasy. The chest that heaved with thrill before her was white, though not a sickly white but with the fantastical palomino glow of a Beauxbaton's steed, though not a little unnatural… He lowered himself onto her, locking his lips around her soft neck and tracing sly circles around the slits of the gown. Hermione's head reeled back, her arms twining around his bare back, drawing him closer. His lips trailed the entire exposed curve of her neck, dipping downwards onto what he could possess of bare chest and his hands snaked their way through her mass of damp hair. He moved up to kiss her, his mouth entirely over hers and even over the jut of her chin. Sooner than expected, Sanguini reared back, back on his feet. He slid both his hands down Hermione's thighs and at once, the sides of her gown disappeared, leaving just one long, flap of white between her legs like a tease.

Sanguini lowered himself onto his knees and threw this flap over his shoulder. Hermione needed no other indication to tell her what was coming next. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her bottom lip hard, waiting for the impact. It came in a series of blinding, transitory bursts of white light. It shattered the stillness as a flash of white whipped in between her like the icy cold breadth of a snake-like tongue. Another flash and there was the stark whiteness of a razor tooth as it grazed her thigh. A third flash and both their heady moans speared the subtle white into brilliant starkness. A final blinding flash and his eyes glowed red inside her very core.

_Thank God for you. Calling my name, Hermione, like it really matters. Calling, Hermione, my name like it, Hermione, really matters. Like, Hermione, really matters._

"Hermione!" _Bloody Hell._

"Yeah, Ginny, I'm over here!" With a searing wave of relief, Hermione saw that her dress was back to black, the cavern was back to its mysterious darkness and Sanguini was nowhere in sight. She smoothed her hair and scurried out into the dissolving night where she collided head-first into a distressed Ginny.

"Hermione, have you really been here all this while? And where'd Sanguini go, the little bastard. We all saw him fondling you one instant and the next he's all over some tiny fifth-year!"

"A fifth-year? When was that?"

"Like an hour ago. So I thought you two must've been done-with whatever-but you hadn't shown up yet. I started looking for you all over the bloody grounds! And you're _still _here? What is it both of you were doing?" There was an irrepressible tinge of anxiousness betraying Ginny's concern. At Hermione's hesitation to answer, Ginny grew more flustered. "He didn't…you know..?"

"Oh..oh no no, he didn't dear. Hah…I wouldn't have let him if he'd tried." Her answer itself seemed a little dubious at first but Hermione was convinced of the truth. She wouldn't have been able to let another man touch her in the ways others had. But she'd allowed Sanguini to.

_Not all the way. He didn't go all the way._ And that was all that mattered.

"Well either way, let's get out of here. If that piece of filth is seducing girls, it's not safe to hang around any more, is it?"

Needless to say, as the new week began, word had spread that Sanguini had left for Eastern Europe and had a wonderfully organic stay in Hogwarts under the selfless care of Eldred Worple and was looking forward to returning.

"Wonderfully orgasmic stay, more like", muttered Ron into his soggy cornflakes. Hermione tried but failed to stifle a genuine giggle. Ron merely threw a momentary glance of contempt, clearly still peeved about three days ago and went on to reading the papers. Noticing this, Harry interjected,

"What, you two, another fight? One would assume you were old enough but-" Ron cleared his throat rudely, "-apparently not."

"No, it was really my fault this time, Harry. But it's a terribly long story and won't be worth the time because Ron just loves me too much to let it simmer." Hermione paused, waiting in vain for a reaction. "Besides, I've got two minutes left for Arithmancy."

"Ah, yeah, think I'll walk with you" added Harry in a huff as Ron had begun spooning his cornflakes with a personally affected vengeance. He coiled his arm around Hermione's waist and steered her out of the Great Hall.

"You're sure you don't want to tell me? I mean I could-"

"No."

The look in Ron's eyes as both she and Harry had left the Hall side by side had been something Hermione had never really seen before. There was a mix of anger and resentment and also some loss and pain that really made him look more sad than angry. Had she become a different person to him? Could he still recognize the conceited, competitive push-over that Hermione really was?

"_Malfoy?_"

"_What?_" Harry stopped short, as Hermione too stood rooted to the ground staring dead-straight into the face of a tall, blonde boy.

"Herm, that's not Malfoy. It's Justin. Remember, Justin?"

"Oh, Justin. Yeah, I remember him. Sorry…" Hermione's voice trailed off as she inwardly wondered how Justin could ever have resembled Draco Malfoy to her.

"You alright?"

"Definitely. It was just the blonde hair, y'know? It happens, Harry." She laughed it off and walked on.

The whole of Arithmancy progressed just fine but it was during their next Potions lesson, that Hermione was thrown off-guard once more. Slughorn was making his usual rounds while the students meticulously concocted and as he passed her, Hermione distinctly heard him whisper in a cold, heartless drawl.

"It's Gillyweed extract not gurdyroot, Granger. Where've you left your head this morning?"

"My _head_ is working just fine you f- I mean- sorry, sir, I'll get the Gillyweed."

As she was heading towards the giant oak tree after classes that day to correct her essay on the effects of wolfsbane on inherently nocturnal activity, a quivering wave of nausea rose into her throat. With effort, she swallowed it down and took steadier breaths. That move, however, almost seemed too much for her as another surge of nausea hit her so hard that she had to run towards the edge of the lake and nastily vomit into her own insubstantial reflection.


End file.
